1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to gaming wheels or rotatable gaming apparatus which may be manually spun by a user's hand to select, by chance or by skill, various numbers, colors or other informational fields or sectors on a rotating game board or wheel. More specifically, the field of the present invention is narrowed to gripping means that may be employed to prevent risk of injury primarily to a user's hand, and enhance convenience when actuating or rotating such wheels, aka., Wheel of Fortune®,” “Games of Chance Wheels,” Wheels of Chance, or “Prize Wheels.”
2. Description of Prior Art
The art of record discloses minimal innovations as to hand grip systems or gripping apparatus that increase safety and simplify the game wheel user's experience. The standard methods or structures that the majority of former art uses is simply to “grab the edge of the rotatable board or wheel” and spin it, whether the spinning axis is perpendicular or parallel to the ground. These wheels use a rotating board that typically comprises an annularly arrayed set of pegs or raised surfaces, most often affixed to their outer peripheries, which rotate with the wheel and strike a spring-clicking flipper indicator(or multiple flipper indicators, aka. sector identification members) that determines the stop point and informational field or sector which is “played” by the game wheel user. Various wheels whose axis is parallel to the ground are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 614,418; 2,077,124; 5,164, 821; 5,340,214 and others. These are typically activated by simply grasping the side of the wheel by hand then thrusting downward to effect rotation. Other patents or former art disclose use a crank handle to turn the wheel or apparatus, usually for mixing up chance pieces, as bingo balls, are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,003,979; 4,813,676; and 4,834,385. Several chance wheels whose axis is perpendicular to the ground are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,990,859, 4,210,331 and U.S. Design Pat. No. 270,362.
The disadvantages posed to a user of these wheels are many. First, typically grasping these “pins” and spinning the wheel, some wheels which are large and weighty and requiring significant torque force, can greatly risk injury to a user. The problem having to grasp these pins presents is that a user's hand or fingers could get caught in between the pins as the wheel is thrust around and released. As well, the pins have a fairly pointed terminus jutting upwardly from the game board surface, and though typically rounded, still this could scratch or potentially puncture the hand, and injure a user. This is true whether the wheel axis spin is perpendicular or parallel to the ground. This structural deficiency creates a liability hazard to those businesses who employ these types of wheels in their show or business venues. In fact, there has doubtless been several injuries sustained by users of these wheels over the decades of use in various venues, the inventor being aware of one of recent occurrence on the Wheel of Fortune Game Show televised EST 7 pm May 22, 2009.
Secondly, spinning a wheel with such limited area or portion to hold onto, by grasping and slinging forward such a small and thin, long pin, as those that are used in the popular game show, Wheel of Fortune, simply adds to the difficulty and distress of playing an otherwise exciting and rewarding game.
Thirdly, having to bend down and stress the back, in addition to the above dangers of the pins creates even more risk of injury to a user. Moreover, a shorter-bodied person would not thus be excluded form eligibility based on their size and slight physical limitation to spin or operate such a wheel as on Wheel of Fortune Game Show.
Another disadvantage is that the long length of the pins can tend to obstruct the view of the rotating board both from the contestant and the audience's scope of view.
Another disadvantage of the present art is that the pins, aka., as annularly arrayed stop position means, could conceivably be bent by a robust wheel user or contestant.
As well, the pins need to be protected additionally in shipping the entire game board apparatus, as the wheels are sent to various show locations and venues, and the support ring of the present invention readily provides this added pin protection benefit by conveniently enclosing the tips of the pins within the ring's structure.
Picking up removable cards within the inner radius of the board, as potentially “nested” within certain said sectors and having to physically “clear” the pins to do so presents a danger to a contestant, as in Wheel of Fortune Game Show. Again, but a shorter-bodied person would not thus be excluded form eligibility based on their size and slight physical limitation to spin or operate such a wheel of the present invention.
Yet another disadvantage is that there is no foolproof way of conveniently electrically signaling the contestant, as in the Wheel of Fortune Game, to know when to spin the wheel, as the Show host must continually verbally cue the contestant to spin the wheel the present invention solves this deficiency, as well.
Lastly, another disadvantage to the Wheel Game owners is that the contestant cannot spin the wheel for a complete revolution very easily and thus can possibly “steal” a sector that is favorable by only moving the wheel for a small controlled “non-chance” distance. A means is needed to spin the wheel which would make it both easy and a requirement for any level of strength contestants to spin the wheel close to or for at least a full revolution, while still not at all burdening any wheel user. This would add to the uncertainty of the outcome and eliminate any “cheating” by a contestant, and provide more overall excitement and suspense for both the contestants and audience the watching the game.
The former art that the present invention focuses upon and improves is found in the structure of wheels that use, as mentioned above, a rotating board that typically comprises an annularly arrayed set of pegs, in which are inherent these above discussed disadvantages. More of these systems are disclosed on the website of www.wheels-of-chance.com and the type of wheels (both the large main wheel and the smaller final “winners” spin wheel) that are used on the Game Show “Wheel of Fortune®.” It is particularly these latter Chance Wheels that the present invention seeks to significantly improve, as further discussed in the following Summary.